Electronic devices, especially tablets or smart phones, may accept input via hand-held peripheral devices, such as a stylus. A stylus may be held manually by a user in relation to a screen to provide input to the electronic device. The stylus may employ sensors to measure the amount of force applied by the user at the tip of the stylus against a surface (e.g., screen) of the electronic device. The measured amount of force may be communicated to the electronic device (e.g., tablet) and utilized by the electronic device to display a digital ink whose weight (e.g., thickness) depends on the detected force.
A stylus can be classified as a passive stylus or an active stylus. The passive stylus utilizes sensing methods based on changes in the capacitive coupling between sensor electrodes deposited on a touch-screen sensor and an input object, such as a rubber-tipped stylus or figure. In contrast, active styluses drive unique modulated signals between the tip of the stylus to a grid of electrodes (e.g., a digitizer) and utilize sensing methods based on changes in the capacitive coupling between sensor electrodes. Both active and passive styluses may communicate detected pressure information to the electronic devices (e.g., the host device) for digital ink weighting.